New To Ducks

[jnnfr4387]

Hello,

We just recently became guardians for some stray ducks. Recently six dicks were found in the road in front of our house. They were laying in the road and holding up traffic. A member of my family saw them and got them to follow him into our yard. Our neighbor has a large pond. They then decided to stay.We, along with my neighbors, asked around and finally found who owned them. They came and identified the ducks stating, ' Yep, that's them ' and left. They seem to care very little for their welfare. I know nothing about ducks. We built them a coop but can't seem to get the in it. We've tried leaving a trail of food but so far it's not working.I feel bad for them because we live in a northern state and it's getting below freezing at night now. The ducks are shy and run from us. Any advice as to how to let them know they have a nice warm house to use if they want it? It's located about 25 feet from the pond in a wooded area. They have tall swamp grass to hide in but the coop would be much warmer for them.



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[Callender Girl]

First of all, kudos to you for deciding to care for these ducks. Too bad their "owner" isn't as compassionate.

My only experience is with runner ducks who will practically trample each other to get ANYWHERE there is food. But, even though I have raised them from day-olds, they will still run from me if I attempt to grab them -- even as they eat out of my hand.

It may take a good deal of time for the ducks to trust you enough to head for the coop.
It sounds like their previous experience with humans wasn't very good.

I understand worrying about them in the cold. It gets quite frigid here in northern, flat and windy Iowa. But, my runners -- who likely tip the scales at about 2-3 pounds each -- seem completely unconcerned about cold temps. They will sometimes come out of their shelter and lie down in the snow.

And, they delight in any source of water, frequently climbing into a heated dog watering dish in the winter. Perhaps these ducks will feel differently if and when the pond freezes over?

In any case, they are better off now than they were, because now somebody cares about them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

One way to get them to shelter is to build a pen around the coop. That way you start feeding them at the coop so they get used to where their food is. Then find a tasty treat they love and start training them start by tossing treats towards them let them get use to them and then begin drawing them towards the pen until you have them inside it may take a few days to a week or more. Once they are inside close the gate give them more treats so they get the idea if they come inside they get rewarded. Always have fresh water when feeding. You might want to keep them penned up for a week so they get use to having shelter and safety. Just always make sure to close them up at night so predators don't get to them.

Bless you for adopting these ducks. We'd love to see some pictures when you get time.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Great job on trying to give them a warm place to go
With Ducks it takes a little time to get them to accept new things
Even mine who I have raised from a week old to incubating them still get upset if I change things up
You can try guiding them in with pool noodles or longer sticks having a few people on all sides to get them where you want them to go but being new to you it may take several attempts
They are very smart and once they figure it out they will just start using it on their own.
It only takes one duck to do it and the others will follow
Good luck

 

[ProudRedneck]

You have gotten some great information already but just wanted to say hi and thank you for taking over caring for these babies. I'll be patiently waiting for pictures of them

 

[igorsMistress]

I raised my ducks from babies, in the coop. As adults they preferred to be outside instead. They used the coop in inclement weather as long as I left it open.

Peas, lots of frozen peas! They will adore you. And mealworms, live ones are available at bait shops or even walmart in the sporting goods section if you have fishing nearby.